10 Apr 2014

Talent in athletics is not often preserved, nurtured and followed up, leading to many potential athletes remaining inactive forever.

For Theo Jacobs, it is a different story. The 12-year-old, Gakhibane-born Jacobs’ talent in athletics was identified and followed up early this year during the primary school athletics competitions.

Jacobs, a standard seven student at Tsabong Primary School, is a discus champion and national record holder in the sport. He told BOPA in an interview that he had passion for sport, especially discus and shot put. The passion came to the fore earlier during the school’s athletics competitions earlier this year when he got the opportunity to showcase his prowess.

He said he seized this opportunity to gain more knowledge, skills and information on how to play both discus and shot put. He said  through his coach,  Boago Sebobi, he managed to gather as much knowledge and information on the two sports as possible.

He said after two weeks he was good at both discus and shot put and was ready to give competitors a run for their money. Jacobs said he was selected to represent both his school and region at the regional primary schools competitions in discus and shot put.

He said during the competition, he stayed focused, keeping to the knowledge, skills and information imparted to him by his coach. He said that he was determined to win the competition and so he had to work-hard, remain focused and follow his coach’s instructions.

During those competitions, Jacobs said that he was awarded a gold medal in shot put and a bronze medal in discus.

Winning those medals meant that he was going to represent his region at the Botswana Primary Schools Sports Association (BOPSSA) national competitions.

He did not let the excitement of winning at regional level get to his head, especially that he was given a greater responsibility of representing his region at national competitions – the task that needed commitment and hard work.

He said that it meant more practice and less playing for him. When his peers were playing on their fields and at their homes, he was at the school grounds with his coach working on improving his skills in the two sports.

Jacobs said that during the national competitions, which were held in Maun in March, he did all his best to follow the rules of both discus and shot put, bearing in his mind that this was his only chance of going further with the two sports and that he could not let this golden opportunity pass him by.

At the national competitions, Jacobs was awarded a gold medal in discus and was pronounced the record holder in the sport. His qualities for success include hard work, commitment, patience and submission.

“In athletics, for one to succeed, he has to have a passion, has to be committed and be able to go an extra mile in ensuring that he grows in athletics,” he said. “One also has to be able to listen to his coach, respect him and do what the coach tells him to do.”

Jacobs also said that for one to go far in life, he has to have goals, saying that goals help a person to know where he is going and they make it easy for him to get there. He said that people need to know what they are trying to accomplish before they begin any project. People who are established and successful should be willing to help those who are still at lower levels, saying that sometimes people just need to be motivated and showed appreciation for them to go somewhere in life.

He urged established athletes to help young athletes, noting that local sport needed to be nurtured from grassroots. He said that the sporting fraternity in Botswana is lagging behind in this regard. He noted that Botswana relies on talent developed by teachers at primary and junior secondary schools.

For her part, Jacobs’ mother, Ms Ontlametse Jacobs, describes her son as a hardworking and committed person, not only in sport but also at home and at school.

Ms Jacobs said: “Theo is a very respectful, hardworking and committed child. I am proud to be his mother and I am blessed to have him as a son. He is my first born child and he always helps me with household chores, he can cook, he helps me with cleaning the house, washing dishes and he sometimes babysits for his younger siblings. He is also a bright child at school, I am expecting a lot from him since he is writing his primary school leaving examinations this year, I am sure he is going to get a straight A.”

Ms Jacobs said that Theo had a lot of interest in sports and that he has always had a passion for sport. She narrated how Theo, when he was growing up used to say that he wanted to be a professional athlete someday.

She added: “Theo has always had a passion for sports. He has always wanted to be a professional sportsperson. It has always been his dream to represent Botswana at international competitions. I remember one day when we were watching news that Amantle Montsho had won, on the local television, we were all quiet and watching attentively, he jumped up and said ‘Mama one day I will be celebrated like this woman, I am going to make my country proud one day.’ We all laughed at him, but he kept saying that one day we will see, and here it is. He is going to represent our country in discus.”

Ms Jacobs urged parents to support their children, saying that on many occasions parents left teachers with the whole responsibility of teaching their children both in the classroom and at the sports grounds. She said that parents should partner with teachers to ensure the success of their children. She said that parents’ support can help build, groom and shape their children’s career and lives.

She also urged parents to advise their children to join sports because sports just like any other job or business has the potential to improve livelihoods.

Theo will represent Botswana Primary Schools’ Sports Association (BOPSSA) at the Confederation of Schools Sports Association of Southern Africa (COSSASA) competitions in Gaborone from April 22 to 26. ENDS